Open Arms of Minnesota

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Welcome to Open Arms
Open Arms of Minnesota prepares & delivers nourishing meals to critically ill Minnesotans and their families in need —100% free of charge to our clients.
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Fresh, Healthy, Delicious
Our dietitians guide our trained chefs in developing a variety of tasty menu items tailored to specific illnesses.
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Nutrition Support
Our dietitians provide free-of-cost nutrition education & support directly to clients, with a focus on individualized care
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A Community of Love
Open Arms is powered by our incredible volunteers, who ensure our critically ill neighbors are always nourished with love.
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Staying Safe
Click to learn how we're keeping our clients, volunteers, and staff safe during COVID-19.
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What We Offer

Medically Tailored Meals

Our registered dietitians guide our trained chefs in developing delicious, made-from-scratch meals tailored to specific illnesses.

Convenient Home Deliveries

With the help of our volunteer drivers, we deliver a week’s worth of meals at a time, allowing clients to focus on healing and spending more time with loved ones.

Nutrition
Support

Our Nutrition Team is always available for our clients. They provide each client a nutritional assessment and offer free nutrition counseling & education services.​

HEALTHY
Ingredients

We use fresh, local, and organic ingredients whenever possible—most of it prepared in-house and some of it grown ourselves at one of our five Open Farms locations.

Care for
Clients & FAmiLy

Meals are delivered not only to our clients, but also to dependents and caregivers. Income is not a qualifier for our services, and we operate on models of abundance, community, & social responsibility.

A Community of Kindness & Love

Everything we do relies on our incredible community of supporters and volunteers, who ensure that our meals are always prepared and delivered with love.
What you all do is so important. There are many people we know who have benefited from your services, should have, or could have had they lived in the Twin Cities — it could happen to any of us. Thank you for what you and all of the volunteers do.
Marina, a supporter of Open Arms
Thank you to the many generous donors, countless volunteers, and staff for providing me with the one bright spot in my week. You all have made such a difference in my life, and I can't thank you enough.
A client of Open Arms
As a dietitian, I know the impact nutrition has on health, and I am grateful Open Arms is able to serve so many people in the Twin Cities. Thanks for the work you do!
A supporter of Open Arms
My form of cancer gets me tired all the time and short of breath. If I had to cook, I would probably skip many meals, doing myself and my body no good... I could not live with this cancer without your help.
Mark, a client living with cancer
The delivery driver just left about 15 minutes ago. You may not hear it too much in my voice, but you brought tears to my eyes. You did it last week too. God bless you, thank you and just continue what you're doing.
A client living with MS
I have ALS and the meals delivered weekly despite the virus pandemic is awesome. I live alone and have escaped the virus so far. But that’s because of the food delivery from Open Arms. It’s the thoughtfulness of supporters, staff, and volunteers that makes my world bright.
Patience, a longtime client living with ALS
Open Arms volunteers

FY 2021 By The Numbers

3,757

clients, caregivers and dependents served with our nourishing meals

794k

medically tailored meals cooked and delivered to our clients

62k

hours of time donated by 6,600 volunteers, equaling ~30 employees

3,726

donors supported our neighbors living with life-threatening illnesses

Our Impact

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Thank you to our friends at @generalmills for volunteering last week at one of our Open Farms locations! 🌱 The crew was at Compassion Farm in North Minneapolis where they harvested scallions, cut seed potatoes, and helped weed the pesky quack grass.

Over 14,000 pounds of produce was harvested last year from our Open Farms locations! This wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and generosity of our volunteers!

Thanks, @generalmills! Come back soon! 💚

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Thank you to our friends at @generalmills for volunteering last week at one of our Open Farms locations! 🌱 The crew was at Compassion Farm in North Minneapolis where they harvested scallions, cut seed potatoes, and helped weed the pesky quack grass. Over 14,000 pounds of produce was harvested last year from our Open Farms locations! This wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and generosity of our volunteers! Thanks, @generalmills! Come back soon! 💚

The tulips outside of our South Minneapolis building are in full bloom. 🌷 These gorgeous flowers brighten up every day at Open Arms while we cook and prepare nourishing meals for our clients, delivered with lots of love. 💕

Huge thanks to our friends at @c.h.robinson for planting these beauties outside our building in 2018. 🥰 We enjoy seeing them every year!

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The tulips outside of our South Minneapolis building are in full bloom. 🌷 These gorgeous flowers brighten up every day at Open Arms while we cook and prepare nourishing meals for our clients, delivered with lots of love. 💕 Huge thanks to our friends at @c.h.robinson for planting these beauties outside our building in 2018. 🥰 We enjoy seeing them every year!

The Moveable Feast silent auction is LIVE, virtual, and open to all members of the Open Arms family! There are over 70 enchanting items you can browse and bid upon, with every dollar going directly to provide nourishing meals to Minnesotans living with life-threatening illnesses and their loved ones. 🧡💛

The silent auction closes this Thursday (May 12th) at 8:00 pm. Place your bids early, so you don’t miss out on your favorite item – visit the link in our bio! 🤩

Good …

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The Moveable Feast silent auction is LIVE, virtual, and open to all members of the Open Arms family! There are over 70 enchanting items you can browse and bid upon, with every dollar going directly to provide nourishing meals to Minnesotans living with life-threatening illnesses and their loved ones. 🧡💛 The silent auction closes this Thursday (May 12th) at 8:00 pm. Place your bids early, so you don’t miss out on your favorite item - visit the link in our bio! 🤩 Good luck, and happy bidding! ✨

The week of our Moveable Feast gala is here! While we are so excited for our most anticipated event of the year, we will all still be hard at work ensuring our neighbors living with life-threatening illnesses have access to nutritious food.

Can you join us for a volunteer shift next week?

Our greatest volunteer needs are…

🥕 2500 kitchen
* 7:30 – 9:00 am Monday through Thursday
* 2:00 – 4:00 pm Monday, Tuesday, and Friday

🥦 KOO kitchen
* …

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The week of our Moveable Feast gala is here! While we are so excited for our most anticipated event of the year, we will all still be hard at work ensuring our neighbors living with life-threatening illnesses have access to nutritious food. Can you join us for a volunteer shift next week? Our greatest volunteer needs are... 🥕 2500 kitchen * 7:30 - 9:00 am Monday through Thursday * 2:00 - 4:00 pm Monday, Tuesday, and Friday 🥦 KOO kitchen * All shifts Monday through Friday Thank you to our volunteers for powering Open Arms and our operations! If you’re able to visit us next week, you can sign up for a shift now through VolunteerHub, visit the Volunteer 💛 link in our bio!

In the Moveable Feast “Garden of Abundance” next week, our guests will enjoy enchanting games of chance. Thanks to our friends at @martinpatrick3, guests will be able to buy “Mystery Boxes” with special and top-secret prizes (proceeds benefitting client meals)!

For those of you looking for a last-minute Mother's Day gift, it’s no mystery that @martinpatrick3 has many incredible items to treat the mother figure in your life!

We can’t wait to see what fabulous …

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In the Moveable Feast “Garden of Abundance” next week, our guests will enjoy enchanting games of chance. Thanks to our friends at @martinpatrick3, guests will be able to buy “Mystery Boxes” with special and top-secret prizes (proceeds benefitting client meals)! For those of you looking for a last-minute Mother's Day gift, it’s no mystery that @martinpatrick3 has many incredible items to treat the mother figure in your life! We can’t wait to see what fabulous items from @martinpatrick3 will appear in our mystery boxes at our Moveable Feast event! 👀✨

ONE WEEK until the magic of our Moveable Feast gala event returns. ✨ Moveable Feast is such a unique and unforgettable experience, thanks to the support of our fabulous restaurant partners! We are grateful to our friends at @performancefoodservice for being our Restaurant Appreciation Sponsor – helping us share the love to our over 30 restaurant partners!

Check out all of the fabulous restaurants participating in this year’s Moveable Feast on our website – visit the link in our …

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ONE WEEK until the magic of our Moveable Feast gala event returns. ✨ Moveable Feast is such a unique and unforgettable experience, thanks to the support of our fabulous restaurant partners! We are grateful to our friends at @performancefoodservice for being our Restaurant Appreciation Sponsor – helping us share the love to our over 30 restaurant partners! Check out all of the fabulous restaurants participating in this year’s Moveable Feast on our website - visit the link in our bio!

Huge news was announced today in the #foodismedicine movement! Today the Biden Harris administration announced that The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health will be happening in September.

This is the first time in 50 years this conference will be held! Providing #mediciallytailoredmeals to people living with critical and life-threatening illnesses is extremely important, and we are so glad the President agrees!

Stay tuned as we'll share more exciting …

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Huge news was announced today in the #foodismedicine movement! Today the Biden Harris administration announced that The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health will be happening in September. This is the first time in 50 years this conference will be held! Providing #mediciallytailoredmeals to people living with critical and life-threatening illnesses is extremely important, and we are so glad the President agrees! Stay tuned as we'll share more exciting developments in the #foodismedicine movement! 🧡💛 Image by: @fimcoalition

Open Arms is here for our clients every step of the way. Our volunteers and staff work hard Monday through Saturday in our kitchen and bakery to cook, prepare, and deliver #medicallytailored food items, and our Nutrition team provides nutrition counseling to our clients over the phone.

All of this is offered to our clients at no cost to them or their loved ones. Thank you to our generous community for making this possible. 🧡💛

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Open Arms is here for our clients every step of the way. Our volunteers and staff work hard Monday through Saturday in our kitchen and bakery to cook, prepare, and deliver #medicallytailored food items, and our Nutrition team provides nutrition counseling to our clients over the phone. All of this is offered to our clients at no cost to them or their loved ones. Thank you to our generous community for making this possible. 🧡💛

Thanks to ALL of our volunteers who participated in our Volunteer Appreciation Week and Global Volunteer Month activities! 🥰 We had SO much fun, and we love any opportunity to show you how much you mean to all of us at Open Arms.

Can you join us for a volunteer shift next week? We still have volunteer openings! Our greatest volunteer needs are…

🚘 Delivery:
*Tuesday through Friday

🥕 2500 Bloomington Avenue kitchen:
* 7:30 – 9:00 am Monday …

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Thanks to ALL of our volunteers who participated in our Volunteer Appreciation Week and Global Volunteer Month activities! 🥰 We had SO much fun, and we love any opportunity to show you how much you mean to all of us at Open Arms. Can you join us for a volunteer shift next week? We still have volunteer openings! Our greatest volunteer needs are... 🚘 Delivery: *Tuesday through Friday 🥕 2500 Bloomington Avenue kitchen: * 7:30 – 9:00 am Monday through Friday * 5:00 – 7:00 pm Monday through Friday 🥦 KOO kitchen: * 8:00 – 10:00 am Monday through Friday * 12:00 – 2:00 pm Monday through Friday (except Wednesday) * 2:00 – 4:00 pm Monday through Friday (except Wednesday) Sign up for a good time with lots of laughs, smiles, chopping, packing, delivering, and treats. 😋 Visit the Volunteer 💛 link in our bio!

Our Moveable Feast guests are in for a sweet treat, thanks to our friends at @lundsandbyerlys! As the unforgettable evening comes to a close, Lunds & Byerlys will provide each guest with a delicious gourmet cupcake to enjoy as they head home. 🧁😋

We are so grateful for all the incredible ways @lundsandbyerlys supports our organization and mission! In addition to supporting Moveable Feast, they generously support Open Arms through their annual Cupcakes for a Cause fundraiser! …

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Our Moveable Feast guests are in for a sweet treat, thanks to our friends at @lundsandbyerlys! As the unforgettable evening comes to a close, Lunds & Byerlys will provide each guest with a delicious gourmet cupcake to enjoy as they head home. 🧁😋 We are so grateful for all the incredible ways @lundsandbyerlys supports our organization and mission! In addition to supporting Moveable Feast, they generously support Open Arms through their annual Cupcakes for a Cause fundraiser! For one month, proceeds from their fabulous cupcakes go to support nourishing meals for neighbors living with life-threatening illnesses. 🧡💛 Thank you, @lundsandbyerlys, for providing an extra special treat to our community!

CEOs and Executive Directors from our sister organizations in the @fimcoalition (FIMC), including our CEO Leah, met this week at @projectangelfood in Los Angeles for FIMC's annual leadership strategic planning session.

Big things are happening in the "food is medicine" movement, and we are so happy to be at the forefront of this work with our sister agencies across the country!

Thank you to @projectangelfood for hosting this important planning session. …

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CEOs and Executive Directors from our sister organizations in the @fimcoalition (FIMC), including our CEO Leah, met this week at @projectangelfood in Los Angeles for FIMC's annual leadership strategic planning session. Big things are happening in the "food is medicine" movement, and we are so happy to be at the forefront of this work with our sister agencies across the country! Thank you to @projectangelfood for hosting this important planning session. 🧡💛 To stay in the loop with the latest in the "food is medicine" movement, follow the @fimcoalition and keep an eye on posts coming from us at Open Arms. 😊

Join us for the 18th annual Moveable Feast and, thanks to our sponsor @medica4me, you can take a seat at our South Minneapolis building for a phenomenal feast! After the program and festivities at the event center have concluded, guests will be chauffeured to one of our restaurant partners, with a few special groups heading to Open Arms' Minneapolis campus! Our talented chefs have created a mouth-watering, multi-course menu for guests dining at our building to enjoy.

Thank you to …

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Join us for the 18th annual Moveable Feast and, thanks to our sponsor @medica4me, you can take a seat at our South Minneapolis building for a phenomenal feast! After the program and festivities at the event center have concluded, guests will be chauffeured to one of our restaurant partners, with a few special groups heading to Open Arms' Minneapolis campus! Our talented chefs have created a mouth-watering, multi-course menu for guests dining at our building to enjoy. Thank you to our friends at Medica for sponsoring this unique culinary experience. Medica has been a partner and supporter of Open Arms for over a decade. Their employees are regularly at our South Minneapolis building - preparing and delivering meals for our critically ill neighbors. Will you join us for what is set to be an unforgettable evening? Purchase your ticket today through Moveable Feast ✨ link in our bio!

Here is the moment our volunteers have been waiting for… Every day last week, volunteers entered raffle tickets for a chance to win a handful of fabulous raffle baskets. TODAY, we will draw winners for each of the baskets!

And the winners…. will be contacted on Monday!

While we LOVE #VolunteerAppreciationWeek, we appreciate and celebrate our volunteers EVERY DAY! Thank you all for making Open Arms such a special place. 🧡💛

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Here is the moment our volunteers have been waiting for... Every day last week, volunteers entered raffle tickets for a chance to win a handful of fabulous raffle baskets. TODAY, we will draw winners for each of the baskets! And the winners.... will be contacted on Monday! While we LOVE #VolunteerAppreciationWeek, we appreciate and celebrate our volunteers EVERY DAY! Thank you all for making Open Arms such a special place. 🧡💛

Open Arms goes above and beyond this week because our volunteers are incredibly important members of our family. They make it possible for us to provide food as medicine to critically ill Minnesotans and contribute to building a community at Open Arms that is filled with love and kindness.

Our Volunteer Engagement members have so much love for our volunteers that they* had one last special message to share as we wrap up one of our favorite weeks at Open Arms. ❤️

*Gabby is…

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Open Arms goes above and beyond this week because our volunteers are incredibly important members of our family. They make it possible for us to provide food as medicine to critically ill Minnesotans and contribute to building a community at Open Arms that is filled with love and kindness. Our Volunteer Engagement members have so much love for our volunteers that they* had one last special message to share as we wrap up one of our favorite weeks at Open Arms. ❤️ *Gabby is out for April but will be back in May!

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